UFC vet warns Tom Aspinall can't afford loss to Ciryl Gane

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It's do-or-die for Tom Aspinall at UFC 321, according to one UFC legend who thinks the future of the heavyweight division rides on him winning against Ciryl Gane.

Aspinall vs. Gane was announced following some of the worst stalling in heavyweight division history, following Jon Jones' refusal to defend the belt. Now elevated to undisputed champion, Aspinall must walk the walk after talking plenty as the interim title holder.

To some, this means the future of the big man division is being wagered on the result...

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Matt Brown warns of high stakes at UFC 321 for Tom Aspinall

It's common knowledge at this point that the heavyweight division is one of the weakest in the promotion, and certainly the weakest in the men's categories. The heavyweight roster contains roughly thirty fighters, meaning approximately half of all UFC heavyweights are ranked.

Aspinall is the division's saving grace, and a loss at UFC 321 would be damning...

"The heavyweight division is on the line," Ex-UFC legend Matt Brown admitted on The Fighter vs. The Writer. "If Gane goes in and beats him. . . The heavyweight division loses a lot of respect. Even if Tom goes out there, and it's a close fight or he gets dropped. . . the heavyweight division has so little respect right now. . .

"He has to prove that to the world. The heavyweight division's not just s---, but I'm so good that the heavyweight division is s---."

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Not only does Aspinall have to consider the expectations of his fans, but he also has to contend with Jones waiting in the wings for any reason to flame his old rival.

"[...] Jon’s going to be on his phone with Twitter open watching this fight, just waiting for Tom to f--- up and get dropped and get leg kicked and limping a little bit," Brown continued. "Jon can’t wait for that moment.

". . . If Tom doesn't match [Jones vs. Gane], 'You suck, Tom, you just fought somebody worse!'"

Aspinall vs. Gane headlines UFC 321 in October

The heavyweight title fight tops the bill of UFC 321, which takes place on October 25, in Abu Dhabi.

• (c) Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane; heavy title
• Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida; heavy
• Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov; light heavy
• Azat Maksum vs. Mitch Raposo; fly
• Chris Barnett vs. Hamdy Abdelwahab; heavy
• Ikram Aliskerov vs. Jun Yong Park; middle

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